00:00 Searching and collecting water for the household, a task that adds more layers of hardship to
00:06 these women.
00:07 In one of the most water scarce regions in southern India, a simple traditional solution
00:12 is in the works for a complex climate change induced water problem.
00:16 A rainwater collection system called Tanka.
00:18 Basically in those areas it is very close to sea where they used to take ground water
00:26 for drinking water purposes but now with the changing salinity level as well as the sea
00:33 water inclusion more, I mean when they go deeper after 10 feet they used to get the
00:40 saline water.
00:41 So when the salinity level is doubled at some places it is tripled also.
00:47 It is a major concern for the district administration as well.
00:52 Dr. Renga Lakshmi is working alongside local Indian administration and GIZ in an Indo-German
00:59 project called Water Security and Climate Adaptation in Rural India to help make coastal
01:05 villages more climate resilient.
01:08 One of their proposed solutions is the Tanka, a concrete structure to store rainwater in
01:13 villages for use in their households.
01:16 It is a kind of an ensemble.
01:17 So it is a concrete structure.
01:18 It is a ground water tank.
01:19 So they collect the water, store it.
01:22 It is a very simple system but you have to construct in such a way that it doesn't seepage
01:32 and it should be covered well so that the microbial contamination can be avoided.
01:40 It is a kind of round model, an open well type with a broader peripheral area so that
01:46 the water can be stored for a longer time.
01:52 Rainwater is collected when it falls on the sloped catchment area at the top of the tanka
01:58 and stored inside.
02:00 The tanka can hold around 30,000 to 60,000 litres of water.
02:06 It took almost a year to build everything at the cost of around 8.5 lakh Indian rupees.
02:12 Right now two villages we facilitated.
02:15 So in the two villages more than 150 households each, they are getting benefited using this
02:22 water, especially during the four months period where the peak summer is there.
02:30 The task of ensuring drinking water availability at the household or domestic water is mainly
02:36 women's role.
02:37 So considering this gender norm at the local level, women have been looking for water resources
02:43 and they fetch water from the surface water body locally called urani.
02:49 From there they used to take it.
02:51 But now with the changing local village context, the uranis are under degradation.
02:58 Many of the uranis are not maintained properly.
03:01 So women are not getting quality water during that period.
03:05 Most of the women in these coastal villages are agricultural labourers and searching for
03:09 water after a hard day's work is a difficult task for them.
03:13 The tanka is a welcomed relief for them.
03:17 After the construction of the tanka, our situation is a bit better.
03:20 But only if there is rainfall, the tanka gets water or there is no water.
03:25 When there is rainfall, we store water in it fully.
03:28 When there is less water, we take two to three buckets each.
03:31 If the water is more, we take five buckets each.
03:35 It lasts for up to three months, so we don't have to walk long distances to nearby villages
03:40 to fetch water.
03:42 The tanka belongs to the villagers who maintain it and distribute water, thus creating a decentralized
03:48 system for water security.
03:50 It can be scaled up or down based on requirements and researchers believe it is now easier and
03:55 quicker to replicate in other places.
03:59 If rain falls continuously for two days, the tanka can get filled up.
04:04 In summer months, when water is not available in other areas, the villagers use this water.
04:10 All the villagers welcome this initiative.
04:12 After seeing this one, another one was built in the nearby village.
04:17 Even if they build this for us in two more villages, it would be helpful.
04:21 We definitely have a need for it.
04:23 They use different kinds of treatments to take the water, filter it, add more drudgery
04:32 for women.
04:33 So now, using this tanka kind of thing, they are easily fetching the water and without
04:40 spending much time, they are ensuring the household water security.
04:43 about the security.
04:44 (electronic music)
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